Wild animal attacks

[trinacriabob]

Have you guys heard about the mountain lion that attacked an elderly couple hiking in the Redwoods in northern California? This blew my mind since that area looks more like Oregon, damp, with tall trees and ferns. I always thought these animals hung out where it's more parched and scrubby...like the Gold Country parts of the lower Sierra.

The man has gotten better but now his condition is worse. I feel really bad for him. I'm holding good thoughts for him. In fact, there was a fatal mountain lion attack in the mid-1990s on a jogger on the outskirts of Auburn, a mere 30 miles east of Sacramento where people swim and raft in the river there.

You are supposed to face them straight on. They go for the rear of your neck and head and tend to stalk / attack from behind. I can't believe that these 80 to 120 pound cats are capable of doing this much damage to people that weigh up to twice what they do.

Are you afraid of mountain lions, bears, alligators or any creatures in the wild? Any stories? Any sightings? Does your area have them?

[FAPTurbo]

Vancouver is home to VERY rabid and insane squirrels.

I have been chased and nearly bitten by the little assholes.

[ocnblu]

"I have been chased and nearly bitten by the little assholes."

Well, I'd be more concerned about their little teeth, but I guess it depends on which end is coming at you first. :AH-HA_wink:

I had a skunk raise his tail at me once while walking through the cemetery near my house on a moonlit summer night past midnight. I yelled at him and he scampered off to stink it up somewhere else.

[Sixty8panther]

I've outrun a few animals in my day.... but I would NOT want to be in that scenario.

On the other hand I have a sick fascination with Snakes. I'd love to survive s snake

bite & then have a big taxidermied rattlesnake up on my mantle for a conversation

piece... but if it was THE actual snake.

Also, I'm not a fan of the water. Sharks are small part of the reason I'm not all about

owning a boat & swiming out in the ocean. It's not out of fear so much as respect.

[Camino LS6]

Scared? No, most wild animals avoid humans.

I've been in the woods with black bears and a host of other wild creatures without incident.

Mountain Lions would be a bit more dicey to deal with though, and I never want to have a run-in with a grizzly or Polar bear. Grizzlies have a nasty disposition and Polar bears see humans as lunch. The Mountain Lion attack is unusual though, and I'd love to see one in the wild.

[Intrepidation]

Vancouver is home to VERY rabid and insane squirrels.

I have been chased and nearly bitten by the little assholes.

Squirrels are nature's little speed bumps.

And most animals avoid humans..we're far more dangerous to them than they are to us.

[Cory Wolfe]

Scared? No, most wild animals avoid humans.

I've been in the woods with black bears and a host of other wild creatures without incident.

[Sixty8panther]

Camino:

My Grandfather (mother's side) was a seaoned hunter, hiker & nature expert

back in Slovakia. This man knew all kinds of crazy trails through the middle

of nowhere... One time we hiked out to the ruins of a castle out in Western

Slovakia for a couple miles away from the nearest dirt road. It was some old

fortress/castle those damn turks/huns had destroyed back in the 14th century

and it never got rebuilt. Centuries later though most of the destroyed/burned

structure is still there. On that one hike alone we saw a Lynx up in a tree

just staring at us, not a care in the world... a deer family including a little

Bambi lookalike, a bunch of birds, salamanders & even some wild boars from

quite a distance. I love those memories btu I don't ever recall having a

mountain lion sighting.

[thegriffon]

The ones that would really worry me are sharks, crocodiles, grizzly bears, lions and tigers, because there's nothing you can do to defend yourself. What scares people most I think is being eaten alive, and at least the cats and a crocodile will kill you first. You hear some grisly stories about grizzlies though, like the bear lover and his girlfriend being eaten with the video camera recording, or some girls out camping hearing a bear drag their friend out of her tent and eat her within earshot.

[z28luvr01]

On the Island we have stray dogs/cats, deer, geese, seagulls, raccoons, squirrels, and assorted other critters. Nothing for me to get scared about. One time my neighbor's dogs tried to gang up on and beat up my dog, but I did the "yell real loud and wave your arms" routine and they took off. Ah, the life of a suburbanite.

[FlyBrain]

Only wild animal I'm afraid of is NOS' mom, she's a tiger.

[Satty]

Only wild animal I'm afraid of is NOS' mom, she's a tiger.

killer beaver?

[trinacriabob]

The Mountain Lion attack is unusual though, and I'd love to see one in the wild.

The immediate outskirts of where I live front the foothills of the Sierra and it is a prime mountain lion area. Though rare, the 1994 attack of a woman runner on the Western Endurance Trail at Auburn CA was weird. These bastards pounce from overhead or from behind and go for the neck. She didn't know what hit her, but she did put up a fight. She didn't make it. They said that if the elderly man in North Coastal California had been alone a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn't have made it either. His wife saved him. A big state park east of San Diego called Cuyamaca Rancho is a major mountain lion hangout, with a few reported deaths and nonfatal attacks as well as numerous sightings to the point that the park is periodically closed to do some "purging."

I guess it creeps me out a bit because I've gone hiking or swimming in the lower Sierra quite often and most of the time by myself. I am now going to get both a walking stick and a blade instead of just a cooler with water, Cokes and breakfast bars.

If one hangs out outdoors at all, he or she should probably become familiar with any defense routines.

[Intrepidation]

It's silly to be paranoid about animals. Most often they avoid you. It's only an issue if you're in real remote areas or places that are known hotspots for dangerous animals. In which case, do the smart thing and avoid them.

And most of all, respect them.

Edited February 8, 2007 by Dodgefan

[Croc]

killer beaver?

Prolly just a fierce urban cougar.